The St. Dimitar church in Bulgaria is the country's second largest Christian Orthodox church after St. Alexander Nevski in the capital, Sofia. Like most formerly government-owned establishments in Bulgaria, the church is in desperate need of renovation. Politically, this is due to neglect during the communist era, which was noxious to religious practices, and atmospherically, due to lack of protection from the moisture of summer air, which corroded its architectural elements, as well as the indoor icons.